Solemnity of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

The Lord tells us that not one letter—not even one mark—will pass away from the law. In that moment, he is speaking of the law of Moses: nothing will pass away until it finds its fulfillment in him. Christ came to fulfill that law completely and thus bring that covenant to completion.

Yet the Church presents this Gospel to us on the feast of Saint Alphonsus. In a spiritual sense, she is applying these words to the law of the Gospel and, in particular, to the moral law God has given us. That moral law will not pass away, because it is an expression of God’s nature and is inscribed in his creation.

The Church gives us this Gospel for Saint Alphonsus because he was known as one who explained the moral law and applied it to life. More than that, he became famous for applying it in a pastoral way. As a pastor and a bishop, Saint Alphonsus took the moral law—which certainly had been written about long before him—and applied it to the concrete experiences of the people he served. He helped them understand how to live that law in their daily lives.

That pastoral context is essential. Too often, when we imagine the moral law, we imagine a list of precepts. We think of the Ten Commandments: do not steal, do not kill, do not lie. And yes, there are precepts like these. But the moral law is more than a list of precepts. Reason itself is also required, because the moral life must be applied to concrete situations, and those situations are often more complex than the simple cases at which a precept is aimed.

In the Christian tradition, the moral law is the fruit of reflection on the Lord’s essential teachings: the two great commandments, “You shall love God,” and, “You shall love your neighbor”; and the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount. These are the true foundations and principles of the moral law. They call us to an entire way of life rather than merely giving us individual precepts.

So whenever we find ourselves in a novel situation, we should not expect to perform a quick search online and discover a detailed list telling us exactly what is right and wrong. Instead, we are called to discernment. We must ask: How does this situation line up with the teachings the Lord has given us?

If one option before me helps me love God more and another does not, then the option that helps me love God more is the right choice. If both options satisfy that criterion, then I ask: Which one helps me love my neighbor? That question guides my choice. And we can continue through the Beatitudes: How can I express blessed poverty, blessed meekness, and righteousness in this moment?

That is what it means to discern the moral law in every moment of our lives. Every choice is moral. We cannot simply fall back on precepts we once learned, as though they could address every conceivable situation. And we certainly cannot rely only on what Sister told us in second grade.

We must look at the concrete reality before us and understand it. Then we must turn to the essential, foundational teachings the Lord has given us. And then we must think. We must reason: What is Christ calling me to in this moment? How can I be like Christ in this choice?

That is the heart of the Christian moral life: to be like Christ and to live his life in this world. Through reason, through the revelation God has already given us, and through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, we can discover the good and moral choice.

So let us not imagine that we can find the answer to everything merely by falling back on individual precepts. Inspired by the example of our patron, Saint Alphonsus, let us truly engage in the work of discernment: reasoning from the foundations the Lord has given us, understanding the situation before us, and truly incarnating the life of Christ once again. In this way, we can bear witness to that life and draw others closer to him.